Little
by fanmind
Summary: Marina is an expert on devil fruits and hopes to work as a scientist and provide well for her and her daughter. But everything changes when she falls in love with a pirate. To fulfill her dream, she makes an alliance with Marshall D Teach, also known as Blackbeard, one of the most cruel pirates known. Contains some AcexOC.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Meeting

_17-year-old Portgaz D. Ace has left his hometown to begin his adventure at sea. He soon comes to an island, where the mera mera no mi is kept. Taking on it´s power will help bring him fame, but also lead to his death. Of course, he doesn´t know this yet._

"Stop reading! I want to play!" I say, tucking at my mother´s skirt. She glances down at me and pats my head.

"Anne, sweetie, you know how important this is to me."

"You said we would play today, but you´re just reading your stupid books!" I thump down at the floor, slapping my forehead against my knees. "You promised! You promised!"

"Stop that!" Mother gets up and kneels beside me, hugging me. "I have an idea. How about we go to the beach tomorrow instead?"

I look up. "Can I buy ice cream?"

"You can buy anything you want. But only if you´re a good girl and goes to bed."

I consider for a few moments, before I smile and hold my arms up against the roof. Mother laughs and helps pulling my dress off past my head. Then she tickles me.

"Mommy, stop, it hurts!" I giggle.

"Sorry, I can´t help it. I never heard of a kid who´s ticklish everywhere. Now, where´s your nightdress?" she says, looking around. I point at the bed. "Sweetie, didn´t I tell you to put the blue one in the laundry? You shouldn´t wear the same one for so long."

"It´s clean, mom, I promise! I washed it this morning!" I say.

"Did you wash it? By yourself?"

I straighten my back. "Yes."

She crosses her arms, studying me with that stern, _what-is-my-daughter-not-telling-me_-look on her face. I rush to the bed, and gets into my night clothes before she gets any confession out of me.

As I´m done, mother sits down on the bed besides me. She removes the bow still stuck in my hair, and then ruffles it, causing it to cover my eyes. "Stop it!"

"Your hair´s so beautiful. Light and shiny as gold in the sun. You know what Martha says about it. You could make a fortune, saving it out and selling it to wealthy merchants. I agree with her."

"Mom!" Annoyed, I hit her with my pillow. She laughs, takes the pillow from me and puts it back down.

"Time to sleep, little lion," she says, using her favorite nickname for me. I don´t dislike it as much as I´m trying to show.

I climb into bed, and she pulls the sheets over me, kisses me goodnight, and walks back to her desk.

"Beach tomorrow?" I ask.

"Beach tomorrow," she answers. I´m smiling, as I fall asleep.

_~ Sunday (next day) ~_

As she puts down their things by a sun chair, Anne is already in the water. A wave makes the girl lose balance and land on her bottom.

"Anne, be careful!" she shouts.

"Yes, mom!" The girl waves at her, smiling, as another wave almost makes her land on her face.

The woman next to her snores. "You shouldn´t leave your kid alone in the water like that, Marina. She is only seven years old."

"And a better swimmer than most adults."

"Swimming is overrated. There are more important things to be good at."

Marina thinks of a reply, but she doesn´t want to start arguing with her sister. She and Martha is as different as sisters can possibly be. Martha is a little older, and far more beautiful, than her. At the age of 24, she is already married to a wealthy man and has no less than three sons, who all preferred to be with their dad at work today, instead of going to the beach.

Marina, on the other hand, is the one with the brains rather than looks. She could read when she was four, and got into school at six years old, instead of seven, which is the usual age of allowance. She´d studied hard for many years, taking a break only at fourteen, when she had to take care of Anne. Thanks to the babysitting skills of Martha and her parents, she managed to keep her studies up. It is a debt she hopes to repay some day.

Martha´s playful dog barks as Anne chases it around in the water. The sisters lay side by side in the chairs, relaxing and making small talk. Until Martha brings up a to her unevitable subject.

"So, do you got something going?"

"No."

"Marina, you can tell me. There´s gotta be someone."

"I don´t need a husband."

Martha sighs. "If you say so. But don´t come complaining to me in ten years."

"I won´t. Why do it bother you so much whether I´m married or not?"

"That´s not what´s bothering me. I think Anne needs a father."

"She´s fine with me."

"She is, but she´ll never be complete without two parents."

"And what makes you such an expert?"

"Last week, she called Jim ´dad´."

Marina bites her lip. She hears Anne is still laughing. Her sister notices her discomfort, and changes the subject.

When Anne has played enough, she and Marina go to a restaurant. After the lunch, when Anne is munching at her vanilla ice, she decides to ask her.

"Anne.."

"What is it, mom?"

"What do you think about your father?"

The girl stares at her, her eyes large. "What do you mean? I have no father."

"It´s nothing."

"Mom, look!" Anne suddenly bursts.

"What is it?"

"He´s sleeping!" She turns her head to where Anne points. Another guest is sitting alone in a corner. He bends forward, his face pressed down against the table next to his plate. Neither the staff nor the other guests are taking notice of him. Anne stands up, putting her ice cream on the table.

"What are you doing, Anne? You can´t eat your ice cream anymore."

"I should wake him," she mumbles.

"Haven´t I told you you can´t just walk up to strangers? It can be dangerous."

"Sorry, mom." Anne sits down again, but still looks concerned. Marina notices the man hasn´t moved.

"Stay here," she says, deciding to check on him. "Excuse me, sir, are you alright? Sir?" She gently touches his shoulder. He snores loudly and lifts his head. A large bubble is emanating from his nostril. He then opens his eyes and the bubble mysteriously pops. Anne laughs loudly from the other side of the restaurant, catching the attention of most guests. Marina, more wellmannered, hides her chuckle behind her hand.

The man has gone back to eating. He is younger than she first thought, can´t be any older than her. But there´s still something mature about him, something she recognises.

The man notices she´s still standing there, observing him. "What?" he snarls.

"Sorry to bother you. My daughter and I were slightly worried about you."

"Why?"

"It´s not everyday you find someone sleeping at your local restaurant."

He shrugs.

Marina feels someone clutch her hand. Anne, unafraid as usual, has come to check on the mysterious man.

"Is this your daughter?" he asks.

"Yes."

He turns around on his chair and leans forward, so that he´s almost face-to-face with Anne. "Hello. Thanks for worrying about me."

"Are you sick?" Anne asks.

"Anne! You can´t ask people if they´re sick!" Marina reprimands her daughter.

"It´s fine," the man says. "I´m not, I think. Don´t worry about it."

"Okay," Anne says, grinning victoriously at her. She sighs.

"So your name is Anne," the man says. "That´s a beautiful name. I´m Ace."

Marina sees her daughter is now smiling, happy for the compliment. Ace glances up at her.

"I´m Marina," she tells him.

A distressed expression hits Ace´s face. He shovels the last of his food in his mouth, then ups and leaves quickly, without a word.

"I think that was rude of him," Anne says.

"Indeed," she agrees, wondering what happened. "Now, let´s go home and freshen up!"

_~ A While Later ~_

Mother is singing as she combs my hair. I know that she always sings when she´s extra happy. "Do you look forward to have dinner with aunt?" I ask her.

"Of course. Don´t you?"

"Yes."

"It´s been some days since you last met your cousins."

I make a grumpy face. "I don´t like them. I want a girl cousin."

Mother laughs. "You´ll have to wait then, I´m afraid." She puts the brush away, and holds up a mirror in front of me. "Look, just like gold." I make grimaces into the mirror, and mother laughs again. "I think we´re ready to go."

I hold mother´s hand as we walk to dinner. My legs begins aching, and she lifts me up to carry me the rest of the way.

A short, smiling woman walks up to us. "Marina! I´m glad I found you."

"What is it, Liv?" Mom sounds tired.

"This is very sudden, but… something important came up, and I was supposed to work today. Could you change shifts with me?"

Mom sighs. "Okay, fine. From when?"

"You´re a lifesaver. My shift starts in about fifteen minutes."

"What?!"

"I´ve been searching for you!" Liv looks at me. "Where are you going?"

"To Martha," mom says.

"Oh. I can walk Anne there for you, if you want."

"Yes, please." Mom puts me down on the ground. "Sweetie, listen, I have to go work at the restaurant now. Liv will follow you to aunt."

I hug her leg. "I want to go with you. I can be at the restaurant too."

Mom smiles teasingly. "Remember what happened last time you went with me to work?"

I had poured lots of strong spice in a customer´s food, when no one noticed. "Yes. But he was mean!"

"You can´t call the guests mean," mom says.

"But…"

"Time!" Liv says. She tries to take my hand, but I move away from her.

"Anne, I´m only saying this once. Go with Liv. Be good at aunt´s house, and remember to say thank you for the food! I´ll come get you later, when I´m done working."

I nod. We hug each other goodbye, then mom leaves.

Liv tries to make conversation. "You look pretty today, Anne. Is that a new dress?"

I shake my head, keeping my lips tightly shut.

The house where aunt and her family lives is much larger than the room mother rents for us. Mother says it´s good they have such a big house, because grandma and grandpa also live there now. Martha and Jim meet us at the door, and Liv explains where mother is. Martha gives me a sad look. I walk into her outstretched arms.

"Even if your mom isn´t here, we´ll have fun, ok?" she says. "To dessert, I´ve made the most fantastic blueberry pie you´ve ever tasted!"

"Okay," I whisper into her hair.

_~ At the restaurant, after rush hour ~_

Someone places a hand on her butt, and she turns around towards him sighing. "Very mature, Finn."

"It was stressful here today."

"Oh, thank you for telling me that. I didn´t notice."

"You´re welcome." As she starts to collect the plates from the table, he continues talking. "When are you gonna go out with me, darling?"

She sighs, and looks at him again. Finn is a good friend, and has a kind heart. But he´s fifteen years older than her, and owns a pig farm.

"When are you gonna take a shower?" she replies.

"Someone´s in a bad mood."

"Sorry. I wasn´t supposed to work today."

"I see." He gives her his usual generous tip before she carries the dishes to the kitchen.

As she returns, she sees a man enter. It tingles in her chest as she recognises his face. He looks at her, his eyes go big and he turns to leave.

She catches up with him right on the street outside, and grabs his arm. Laughing, she asks: "Are you running from me?"

He looks around nervously. "I don´t know what you´re talking about."

"I must´ve made a bad first impression on you," she continues. "I´m sorry. Come in and have a drink."

"No, I gotta go," he mumbles.

"Nonsense." She shoves him back inside. He´s standing still as a statue, his gaze wandering around the restaurant. It has a few, round windows facing the street. There are no chairs, only benches and tables located along three of the walls. A corner holds several shelves with various bottles. Next to the kitchen entrance hangs a wide, made-to-scale painting of a large ship.

He notices her attire. "Do you work here?" he asks.

"Yes."

"Everything okay?" Finn is walking up to them, pulling on his jacket at the same time. It´s gotten quite cooler outside since it´s evening.

"Are you a marine? You too?" the boy asks stiffly.

"Marine? Me? No, couldn´t hope for that much!" Finn laughs.

Marina looks at the boy, studies his clothing, and then realises what´s going on. She nervously giggles; the giggling turns into coughing, and suddenly she looks like an idiot. Finn taps her back, trying to help.

"It´s okay. I-I´m okay." She straightens. "See you later, Finn."

"See you. Say hi to Anne," he says, going off.

She turns to the boy, Ace, again, her face calm. "There are no marines here," she whispers.

"But you said you were…"

"My name is Ravensdale Marina, and I´m neutral in all this marines versus pirates war stuff. But I´m not neutral when it comes to neglecting customers. So sit down while I get you something to eat."

"Does it matter that I didn´t come to eat?" Ace says, smiling slightly.

She turns to him and crosses her arms in front of her. "If you´re here to steal, pirate, then I have to throw you out."

"Don´t talk so loud!"

She leans closer to him. "Why are you here, then?"

"I´m looking for something. I heard rumours about it being on this island. I thought someone may know..."

"What is it?"

"It´s a devil fruit."

_~ Martha´s house ~_

The bookshelf in front of me is huge, the tallest I know. My fingers slide across the many old, dusty books.

"Anne, do you want to rest a little?"

I turn around to look at my aunt. "I am waiting for mom."

"I don´t think she will be here in a while. I´ve prepared a bed for you, in the guest room. I suggest you get some sleep, since it´s getting late. Marina would be glad if you did, I´m sure."

"Oh, stop bickering on the kid, for god´s sake!" Grandpa walks into the room, his stick thumping loudly against the wooden floor. He sits down heavily in a chair, breathing out. "If the girl doesn´t want to sleep, then she shouldn´t have to!"

"Right, right, sorry. Could I get you anything, dad?" Martha continues. "Coffee? Tea? Bread?"

"I ate dinner already. Stuffing me when I´m full is your mother´s job."

"Oh, should I get her for you then?" Martha asks sarcastically.

"Wake that bloody woman from her evening nap if you dare, but don´t involve me. Deal with her yourself." Martha mutters something as she walks away.

Grandpa smiles towards me. "You´re not tired, are you?"

"Nope."

He gestures to the books. "Do you like reading?"

"I can´t read yet. But I´ll learn, after summer, when I start school."

"Excellent, excellent indeed." Grandpa picks up a cigarr, and lits it. I watch him blowing out white smoke. A certain scent fills the room. "Have I ever told you about your great grandfather?"

"Yes. He was a pirate."

"No! No, he certainly wasn´t. He had some bad company, but he never… No, listen girl, your great grandfather, and my father, was a brave and dutiful man. He was one of the best sailors in the area, and helped chasing down pirates, although he wasn´t much of a soldier himself. One day, he, along with some marines, chased a pirate to a deserted island. The pirate had found something worth a lot, that would make him rich. He put the treasure in a box, and buried it in the ground, to not let the marines find it. But my father saw him do it.

So, the pirate cut out his eyes, hoping that he cannot tell anyone of where the treasure is buried. Then, the pirate escaped by swimming across the sea, to another island, facing some unknown destiny of his own. My father, who can´t see, waited for the marines to find him.

Meanwhile, he marked the spot by putting blood on the trees and some signs on the ground. Exactly one week later, I, his son, travels to this island, and finds and digs out the pirate´s treasure. And… Anne? Anne!"

I´m busy flipping through a red book with many pictures of ships in it. Upon hearing my name being yelled, I look at grandpa again. "Hmm?" I say.

"Did you hear what I told you?"

"Of course I did, there was a pirate on an island and he was rich and old and blind and stole treasure from your father."

"Not really, but… well, it doesn´t matter. But listen to this, Anne. Your mother is studying really hard to get into the Academy. Do you know what that is?"

I nod, smiling. "It is a place for high-level studies where smart people go. Like scientists and doctors. The world government owns it. Mom wants to go there too."

"Yes, that´s right. Only the most cunning and clever people are allowed into the Academy. And Marina studies a lot, so that she can go there."

"She´s always working," I say.

"Yes. Now, I must mention the treasure again, the one that the pirate tried to hide from my father. It is actually a fruit, a magical fruit."

"Magical fruit? That sounds like…"

"It´s extremely rare, but commonly known as devil´s fruit. The government wants people that have knowledge of the devil fruits the most. Even in the Academy, there are a department that only studies the fruits. That´s where your mother wants to be. And, with this fruit, the one that my father lost his eyesight for, your mother has the best chance to get into the Academy. Marina doesn´t know this yet, but I am willing to donate the fruit to the government, to ensure she can go there. Do you understand, Anne?"

"Not really."

"Okay, how about this: If I give the fruit to the government, your mother can become a scientist."

"She can?"

"Yes."

I smile. "That´s great. Thank you, grandpa!" I climb onto his knee to hug him, and he laughs.

"Careful! I´m old!"

"Sorry." I get up and go back to the bookshelf.

"It´s fine. And, one more thing. Don´t tell your mother about this. It is a secret," he says, blinking towards me.

"I won´t, I promise."

_To be continued_

_Author´s note: I´m gonna say this once: Eichiro Oda owns One Piece. I own only the OC:s._

_Please review. :)_

_Anne´s name comes from the original Blackbeard´s ship, Queen Anne´s Revenge._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Treasure

_~ Monday ~_

She wakes up early, and gets out of the bed without moving too much. She ties her hair back, puts on high-heeled shoes and a knee-length blue dress. She can´t help feeling like a teenager sneaking out from her parents´ house at evening, as she leaves quietly while Anne is still sleeping. She knows her daughter will be fine. She has left early like this before, to go to the restaurant. But now she´s not going to work.

Yesterday, they both agreed to meet on the beach. She feels thrilled as she makes her way there, although she isn´t even sure he will show up. He is a pirate. Her father would kill her if he knew they were meeting. Then her mother would somehow kill her again. Martha would lecture her dead body.

Ace finds her before she arrives to the sea. He waves to her from the other side of the street, and she walks up to him.

"Good morning," he says.

"Good morning. I wasn´t sure you´d be here. But I´m glad you are," she tells him.

"I can´t help it. You said you´d tell me about the devil fruit today."

"Yes. Let´s go somewhere more safe."

"Here is fine," he argues.

She looks around on the street. There aren´t many people around, and yet no marines. "Okay." She leans against a wall. He stands in front of her, so his face is partly hidden while she keeps an eye on what happens around them. "So, are you famous amongst the marines yet?"

"Sort of. I´m a rookie pirate still, but… Nevermind. What about the fruit?"

"It is very important to those who own it," she starts.

"But none of them wants to eat it?"

"No."

He snorts. "What´s the point of just keeping something like that lying around?"

"It´s not like that! It´s valuable, but not in a money way," she tries to explain.

"Well, luckily for me I guess. What else do you know?"

"I´m not quite sure about what power it contains," she lies. She hadn´t known at first. but it didn´t take long for her to figure it out.

"I see. I´ll find it out by myself then."

"You´re not wondering where it is?"

"I already know that."

"Oh, want to tell me then?"

He points. "An old, green house with a fence, close to the road leading up the hill."

She crosses her arms. "So you will try to steal it, then?"

"Don´t think asking for it nicely would work." He glares at her. "Do you plan on getting in my way?"

"No. Actually, I think I´ll help you."

He accepts her offer, and they start going towards her sister´s house. By then, she has completely forgotten about Anne still at home alone.

_~Short time skip~_

"… and that´s when I told my father I would never be a sailor. He hasn´t taking me fishing since. Also, I´ve never eaten fish again," she finishes. Ace smirks.

"So you know how to sail, then?"

"Yes. But today it´d be hard to make a living out of being a sailor. The seas are rough, and you´re sure to get dragged into trouble while being on the seas." She glances at him. "You´re brave, being a pirate and everything."

"I´m following my dream, that´s all."

"Is your dream really to be a pirate, or are you not just running away from your parents?"

"My parents are dead." A shadow appears in his already dark eyes.

"Sorry, I didn´t know that." She leaves the subject.

They walk silently for a few more minutes, until Marina speaks again. "Anne has no father, only me." She´s not sure why she´s even telling him that. Then Ace smiles towards her.

"She is lucky, I think, having you as her mother."

She stops, and blinks a few times, startled.

"What is it?" he asks.

"I never thought I´d get a compliment from a pirate."

"Being a pirate doesn´t mean you can´t be nice to people."

She looks at him, studying him more closely. The sun meets her eyes, and she mostly sees his profile. He looks stern, but at the same time as if he´s never too far from smiling. He wears little clothes even for summer, but the most hitting about him is the orange hat, with googles looking like faces on it. He also has some letters tattoed on one arm. The only weapon he wears is a small knife in his belt, but with his muscled body, he sure could do well in a fight anyways, she concludes.

Only then is the first time she feels worried. There is no telling if him going to the house wouldn´t lead to a violent situation. Even worse is that Jim, the only one who could possibly deal with the pirate, is at work.

She bites her lip, thinking of her sister, parents, and young nieces. She met Ace only the day before, and can´t trust him at all. As she is struggling to come up with some way to stop him from going there, they have reached the destination.

"That seems to be it," he says, looking straight at Martha´s house.

"There are other green houses…," she tries, but the lie is obvious, there is maximum one family on each island who would paint their house in a slime-like green color.

With ease, he jumps up and climbs over the fence who is almost twice as high as him. He lands on both feet on the other side, and brushes his knees off. She hurries to the gate that´s hard to notice, unlocks it from the inside as she is used to, and goes into the garden as well.

"I didn´t know you could take that way in," he says.

"Us ordinary people that can´t get past a three meter high fence has to think of solutions."

"I´m not ordinary, huh?"

"Nope."

"You already know me well." He leans in closer to her. "You don´t have to be here, you know."

"I said I´ll help you."

"Alright then." He studies the house.

"What are you planning on doing?" she asks.

"First step would be getting in."

"Are you sure breaking into someone´s house is the best idea?"

"You´re right, it´d probably drag too much attention." To her surprise, he knocks on the door. She hears the distant thumping of a stick from inside the house. Her father opens the door, and raises an eyebrow as he sees Ace.

"What do you want?" he grunts, annoyed because it´s still morning.

Ace bows towards him. "Sorry for disturbing you. I only have something to ask. May I come in?"

Her father is surprised by his politeness, but still replies: "No." Then he notices Marina. "What are you doing here?"

She walks up to beside Ace. "Good morning, father." She feels how Ace turns tense. "I´d just like to ask if you still need that help with fixing the rudder on your sailing boat."

"Maybe. Why?"

"This man, Ace, is a shipwright travelling through here. I met him at the restaurant yesterday. He´s offered to help with reparations, in return for some free meals."

Her father studies him closely, and smiles. "If you say so, my daughter. I´d gladly accept your help. Oh, would you like to come in for some coffee?"

Ace moves slightly forward, but Marina grabs his arm, stopping him. "Oh, no we can´t. Got a busy schedule." She speaks for both of them.

Her father nods. "I understand. Wait here, and I´ll just go get the blueprints." He goes back in, closing the door after him. Ace turns towards her.

"What the hell was that? You´re related to these people?"

"Yes, and I am not gonna let you steal from my family!"

"I can´t believe you lied." He tries to walk inside again, but she steps in front of him.

"I said I won´t let you."

"Why? You said you´re not using it. I´d be better off with it."

"No! That treasure is valuable to us." Some of her father´s opinions come through her mouth. "You can´t understand, since you´re just a pirate. You take what´s important to other people without any second thoughts."

"I don´t get your attitude. But if you´re so serious about it, I´ll leave it for now."

"Thank you." She hears her father getting nearer. He hands Ace the blueprints, and they both say goodbye´s and start heading back down the hill.

"You said something about free meals," Ace says.

"I made it up."

"Yeah, but I´m sorta hungry."

"Fine, I´ll treat you."

The walk back into town is remarkably peaceful. He is easy to talk to, even though he is a stranger. As they are almost at the restaurant, someone steps in front of them. A neighbor to her and Anne. She lives two floors below them. Her clothes and hair is dirty - Marina realises it´s ash. The woman is panting, as if she has been running. She looks wildly at Marina.

"Fire…," she coughs. "...home." Marina looks up, and sees smoke rise above the rooftops. She notices a faint smell of fire in the air.

She starts moving, and falls. Ace manages to catch her.

"What is going on?" he asks. She pulls off her heeled shoes, accidentally breaks one in the process, and throws them away, as she starts running, only one thing on her mind.

Next she knows, she is outside the house where they live. The fire is surprisingly hard to spot from the outside. But it´s there. It´s spreading fast in the warmth, and it´s destroying their home. A crowd has gathered outside; people whose faces she doesn´t observe, but no children anywhere.

Just as she´s about to rush in, a couple come out. Not Anne.

She screams, as she is pulled back. Strong hands grabbing her arms. She struggles against them, kicks the air, screams.

It´s too late, voices say. Too late, too late. Anne_._ Her eyesight is blurry. Anne.

Something orange appears in front of her. Dark eyes meet hers. "Anne," she whispers. Ace understands. She can tell.

He moves faster than her. Past the people, through the door. She shouts after him: "Third floor, to the right!"

She sits on her knees, imagining outcomes. The ground is hard, dried by the sun, flattened by countless people. She buries her fingers in the dirt, trying to steady herself. An eternity passes. Buckets are carried. Someone hugs her.

"I´m so sorry, Marina. I was only away from the kitchen a few minutes, it´s all my fault, I´m so, so sorry."

Smoke and tears sting in her eyes. The world is too cruel. It´s slowly fading. She welcomes the darkness.

Pieces of glass land on the ground. Out steps a dark figure. The girl is still, and heavy in his arms. Behind them is a wall of fire and smoke. She faints.

_To be continued_

_Author's note: Save child from fire - cliche but I wanted it in my story... _

_I'll add first spade pirate soon. If you have suggestions on crew members, feel free to review/pm your ideas. Please review also, it'd be very useful!_


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